This step had been long awaited. On Thursday, the investigative authorities actually struck: the failed real estate tycoon and ex-billionaire René Benko was arrested by officers from the Federal Criminal Police Office’s SOKO Signa in “his” villa in Innsbruck-Igls. Previously this had Vienna Criminal Regional Court a corresponding arrest order from the Economic and Corruption Public Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA) approved. Benko is said to have, among other things, falsified an invoice and concealed assets and protected them from access by the authorities, the liquidator and creditors.
The reason for the arrest is: urgent suspicion as well as Danger of darkening and Risk of committing a crime.
During the course of Thursday, the WKStA applied to the court for Benko’s pre-trial detention, as Christina Salzborn from the Vienna Criminal Regional Court confirmed to KURIER. The Arrest and legal protection judge at the regional court has 48 hours to decide on the pre-trial detention. Benko is to be transferred from Innsbruck to Vienna to the Josefstadt prison – the detention hearing is to take place in Vienna. According to previous statements, Benko denies all allegations.
Benko’s defense attorney Norbert Weiss confirmed the arrest to KURIER, but could not provide any further details. “But a court must first decide on any possible pre-trial detention within 48 hours. This will therefore only happen later,” said Wess in one WhatsApp-Emission.
Pre-trial detention requested
The reason for the arrest is the urgent suspicion of a crime as well as the risk of collusion and the risk of committing the crime.
During the course of Thursday, the WKStA applied to the court for Benko’s pre-trial detention, as Christina Salzborn from the Vienna Criminal Regional Court confirmed to KURIER. The detention and legal protection judge at the regional court has 48 hours to decide on the pre-trial detention. Benko is said to have been transferred from Innsbruck to Vienna to the Josefstadt prison – the detention hearing is to take place in Vienna. According to previous statements, Benko denies all allegations.
The Parallel Universe
At the center of the current investigations against René Benko is the Laura Private Foundation, founded in 2007, Benko’s financial parallel universe. The founders of the private foundation are mother and son Benko.
In parallel with the Signa Group, the now insolvent sole proprietor Benko is said to have moved millions of his private assets into the Laura Private Foundation over many years. He himself has no assets. In addition, on paper the Signa founder is not the beneficiary of the foundation, but rather his family members.
Since Signa’s demise, Benko’s extremely lavish lifestyle is said to have been financed by donations from the Laura Private Foundation and his mother.
Assets withdrawn from access?
According to the files, the WKStA assumes that “Rene Benko is, among other things, the de facto ruler and beneficial owner of the Laura Private Foundation” and he is said to have concealed this as part of his insolvency as a sole proprietor. In doing so, he is said to have “concealed assets and continued to withhold the assets in the foundation from access by the authorities, administrators and creditors”.
For the prosecution, the entire suspicion arises from the intensive investigations of the past few months, in particular telephone surveillance, an analysis of the accused’s message traffic and the statements of business partners, managing directors and employees.
No consideration?
Furthermore, Benko is said to have “hidden assets such as high-priced hunting weapons, watches and other items or sold them without appropriate consideration, thereby preventing or reducing the satisfaction of creditors.” The accused is said to have subsequently created an invoice for the three hunting weapons and thus falsified evidence.
-The list of suspicions is even longer. The Signa founder is said to have enticed his co-shareholders in Signa Holding to make new investments of 350 million euros in the summer of 2023 by pretending to also pay in 35 million euros through the Benko family private foundation. He is said to have sent money through several companies in the area and thus faked his investment.
The controversial Garda deal
And in one case there is suspicion of infidelity: Signa Holding is said to have sold a Luxembourg subsidiary including the Villa Eden Gardone resort on Lake Garda to the Liechtenstein Ingbe Foundation (Benko’s mother) in August 2023.
The purchase price was 46.23 million euros. A sale of Signa Prime shares is said to have been offset against this at a price of 46.23 million euros. According to the WKStA, the deal is said to have taken place “without sufficient consideration”. At that time, the Signa Group was already in serious difficulties and the shares were no longer worth anything due to the bankruptcy of Signa Prime.
Criminal investigations in four countries
Criminal investigations are currently being carried out in four countries against the management team of the insolvent real estate group Signa around the Tyrolean company founder René Benko. Next to Austria are these Deutschland, Liechtenstein and Italy.
Public prosecutors are investigating suspected white-collar criminal activities and serious fraud Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Vaduz and Trent. A whole series of house searches to secure evidence have already been carried out. “The economic and corruption public prosecutor’s office recently took a further step in cooperation in the Signa case complex: the WKStA formed a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) with the Berlin and Munich I public prosecutor’s offices,” it continues. “This makes it possible to conduct cross-border investigations in a more unbureaucratic and efficient manner.”
(kurier.at, price)
| Updated 1 minute ago
